Mr. Arnthor Helgason, Friendship Ambassador Between the People of China and Iceland

At the invitation of the Icelandic Chinese Cultural Society (ICCS)， a CPAFFC delegation led by Vice President Li Jianping visited Iceland from April 21 to 24. The Icelandic friends were waiting long to welcome the delegation at the Reykjavik Airport. Among them were Mr. Olafur Egilsson， chairman of the ICCS and our old friend Mr. Arnthor Helgason. It was still rather cold in the early spring in Iceland， but the hospitality of the Icelandic hosts filled our hearts like a warm current.

On April 22， the Chinese Embassy was decorated with lanterns and festoons in a festival atmosphere. The ceremony of conferring the title of Friendship Ambassador on ICCS Vice Chairman Mr. Helgason by the CPAFFC was held here. More than 50 guests were present including members of the ICCS， Icelandic friends of various circles and representatives of Chinese residents. Chinese Ambassador Zhang Keyuan， Vice President Li Jianping and ICCS Chairman Mr. Egilsson spoke at the ceremony. They all highly praised Mr. Helgason for his outstanding contributions to developing cultural exchanges between China and Iceland and promoting friendship between the two peoples. Amidst warm applause， Mr. Helgason said excitedly， “I am honored and pleased to accept the title of Friendship Ambassador. It is not only an honour for me personally， but also a witness of the friendship between the people of Iceland and China.”

Mr. Arnthor Helgason was born on April 5， 1952 in the Westman Islands， Iceland. He became blind from illness in his childhood. He is only 57 years old this year， but he has been concerned with China and working for the development of the Icelandic and Chinese friendly relations for more than 40 years.

Mr. Helgason is fond of music and good at playing the piano. Between 1966 and 1967， he and his twin brother made a performance tour around Iceland to raise funds for children with difficulties in life， which made him known throughout the country. He graduated from Iceland University in 1978 and was the first blind man in Iceland to acquire a university degree.

“My bond of love with China began even when I was a child”， said Mr. Helgason with pride. When he was 10 years old， he heard by chance a pleasant Chinese song The East Is Red. Since then， China has entered the heart of this Icelander who had lost his sight， and opened a new world for his life. He began to listen to the broadcast of China Radio International in 1966 and started correspondence with it in 1967. Up till now he is still keeping this contact via the internet. China Radio International， which used The East Is Red at the beginning of its broadcast， has become his true friend. He listened to China attentively， learning about its history and present situation， its changes and development， and was fascinated by this far-away country. Since 1973 when he started to work with the Icelandic Broadcasting Service， he has produced a large number of programmes on Chinese culture， history， economy， music and Sino-Icelandic relations， and has written articles on the same subjects and given lectures in various organizations. He has also offered consulting service for Icelandic government offices as well as the Chinese Embassy in Iceland. In 1968， he began to recommend some Chinese music to the Icelandic State Broadcasting Service， and from 1970 to 1988 he was the agent for China International Publishing Company in Iceland， distributing Chinese periodicals， books and musical records. He has been active in various social activities. He worked as a journalist for the Icelandic radio and newspapers (2006-2008)， director of the Icelandic Organization of the Disabled (2001-2006)， head of the Educational Materials Department of the Icelandic Library for the Blind (1983-1984)， and chairman of the board of directors of the Icelandic Organization of the Disabled. He has also taken an active part in political activities， and was a member of the Progressive Party of Iceland from 1980 to 1998.

However， to Mr. Helgason， what attracts him most is the activities of the ICCS. Though Iceland established diplomatic ties with China in 1971， the ICCS that works to enhance the friendship between the people of Iceland and China and carries out cultural exchanges between the two countries was set up as early as in 1953. Mr. Helgason became a member of the ICCS to work for the promotion of mutual understanding and friendship between Iceland and China in 1969 when he was only 17 years old. He did leadership work of the ICCS for several times. He was its vice chairman from 1973 to 1975; chairman from 1977 to 1988; vice chairman from 1994 to 1995; chairman again from 1995 to 2006; and vice chairman again from 2006 to the present. As a leader of the ICCS， he has always actively pushed the work for Iceland-China friendship， organizing activities to introduce Chinese culture， receiving Chinese delegations to Iceland， and sending goodwill delegations from Iceland to China.

On September 3， 2000， Li Peng， the then chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress， visited Mr. Helgason at his home， and expressed his respect to Mr. Helgason for his unremitting efforts to promote friendship between China and Iceland.

In 1975， at the invitation of the CPAFFC， Mr. Helgason paid his first visit to China. In May 2004， he led an ICCS delegation to China to honour the 50th anniversary of the founding of the CPAFFC. That was his 7th visit to China. He was surprised at the rapid progress and changes in China. His knowledge of China and his sentiments towards the country also deepened accordingly， as expressed in his own words: “through these visits， I have come to see the great contribution of the Chinese people to safeguarding world peace by following the principles of peaceful co-existence in their contacts with other countries regardless of their sizes and different systems.” Through my cooperation with the CPAFFC， I feel what I have done for world peace is really insignificant. The enthusiastic spirit of the Chinese people， their love for world peace， and the respect they have shown for the people of other countries are a shining example in the world.

He once said: “I have fallen in love with China and the Chinese culture. China has become a part of my life and of my family.”

The medal of Friendship Ambassador will shine forever in the life of Mr. Helgason. And it will also add a new chapter to the annals of the friendly exchanges between the Chinese and Icelandic people.